Photo © Brian Pask. Please do not re-post without permission.

A surprise acquisition by Southend in 1955 was a batch of seven utility bodied Daimlers from Eastern National. These had come from the Canvey and Benfleet fleets in 1951 and all but one had originated with Birmingham Corporation. The six which entered service took the numbers 242-7, previously used by the second hand AECs of the early 1950s. All but one were later converted to open top and had long lives in this form (one, 244, survives today at the Castle Point Transport Museum). The only one not so converted, 243, FOP417, is on the Western Circular, by now route 29, in Fairfax Drive on 21st April 1956.
The Westcliff depot is just visible behind the bus on the left. These vehicles spent most of their short lives with Southend in covered top form on this route and its companion 28, perhaps because this was all that was on their ex-Eastern National blinds, which they retained with Southend. Their height would also have prevented them from working many Southend routes.

Click here for more details from the Southend fleet list pages.

Photo taken by Brian Pask, Saturday 21 April 1956, Fairfax Drive, Southend

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